The message below is going out to all families in the District via a School Messenger call and will also be on our website and Facebook page. If you are a person with respiratory issues you should consider staying home if the smoke is giving you troubles. Fortunately, today is better than yesterday and tomorrow is supposed to be better again, but be careful with your health if the smoke poses you significant problems.

With the terrible fires burning in the area and the smoke associated with them, many people are wondering if the Dixon schools will be closing. The short answer is no, we will not be closing our schools in response to the smoke in the area.

Today’s air quality in Dixon is better than yesterday’s and is forecast to be improved again tomorrow. Given these conditions, and zero chance of fire-related evacuations within the District at this time, we will be holding classes as scheduled on Thursday and Friday. If conditions change and the air reaches dangerous levels, we will re-evaluate and close schools if necessary.

All of our schools are operating with students spending the very minimum amount of time outside as can occur. Students who experience any respiratory difficulty are being seen in our Nurse’s Offices and parents are being contacted, but thankfully, this number is very low so far. Parents should consider keeping children with severe asthma or other respiratory conditions home as a preventative measure.

We are aware that other Districts have already announced school closures for Thursday and Friday. Our conditions are different and do not warrant closure at this time. Again, if conditions change, we will respond accordingly.

We join everyone in hoping for quick control of the fires and an end to the loss of life and property across the region.